Children's home run by Dove Adolescent Services Limited in Wakefield

Inspection report for children’s home: SC355839 1 SC355839 Registered provider: Dove Adolescent Services Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This home is owned and managed by a private company. It provides care for up to two children who may experience social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of the inspection, one child was living in the home; however, two other children had lived together during this inspection period. The child was spoken with during the inspection.

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Information about this children’s home

A manager has been appointed, who has applied to register with Ofsted. This inspection was supported by the appointed manager, senior leaders, and interim managers.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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good

How well children and young people are helped and protected good

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good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers good

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good

The children’s home provides effective services that meet the requirements for good.

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good

Date of last inspection: 29 October 2024

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: SC355839 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

29/10/2024 Full Good 22/08/2023 Full Good 11/10/2022 Full Good 14/12/2021 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: SC355839 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are settled at this home and are making progress. The cornerstone of this is the foundations on which relationships between the children and staff are built. Staff are good advocates for children and have their welfare at the centre of their practice.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff understand children’s anxieties about the future. Staff communicate in an open and honest way and involve children in decision-making. Children feel listened to, and having their say reduces their worry. Staff work hard so children achieve their wishes wherever possible.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are encouraged to visit their friends and families and spend time away from the home. This helps children maintain important connections and feel included in their friendship groups. Children are helped to use public transport and are encouraged to be independent. This plays an important role in supporting children’s well-being as well as developing important life skills.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff understand the importance of children’s education. They support children well to help them to learn and develop their knowledge and skills. Staff will attend school to support children when they are struggling. This gives children consistency and reassurance when they need them most.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff access support and guidance from external professionals to understand children’s behaviours better. They use this time in a reflective way so they can adapt the ways they work to meet each child’s needs. Children feel supported by an adaptive team of staff who are responsive to their changing needs.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Moves in and out of the home are managed well, with the child’s best interest at the centre of decision-making. Transition plans are well structured. Staff support children to see their new home, which prevents children’s anxieties escalating. This allows staff to give children the best possible start at their new home. When children have to move quickly or in an emergency, staff reflect on this with the child, so the child understands the reasons.

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: good

When children go missing from the home, there are clear plans in place for staff to follow. Staff make every effort to find the children and return them home. Children’s welfare is the primary concern of the staff, and children feel cared for by staff.

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: good

Children are supported to understand risk and how to keep themselves safer. Staff make sure that there are clear and consistent boundaries at the home, which helps children feel secure. One child said, ’I like living here, I feel safe, and I like the staff.’ This feeling of safety and security has led to a reduction of incidents, including missing episodes. Inspection report for children’s home: SC355839 4 Leaders and managers use appropriate agencies when child safeguarding issues arise. Strategy meetings have been held to discuss and create safety plans that are detailed and thorough. This has led to further safeguarding arrangements at the home being bolstered.

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: good

Staff feel valued, even when supporting children through difficult and challenging times. When serious incidents do happen, leaders and managers support staff well. Staff are given the opportunity to reflect on incidents in open and honest discussions. As a result, staff reflections are child centred and supportive in nature. Staff feel part of a team and support each other effectively.

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: good

However, not all staff are fully equipped with the skills and knowledge they need to safeguard children effectively. Not all staff show professional curiosity when safeguarding issues arise.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager is new in post and is well supported by senior leaders from the organisation. The manager has been given time to learn about and to understand the children living at the home. Staff support and well-being are priorities of the leaders and managers. Staff speak highly of the manager. One staff member described the new manager as ‘very supportive’ and a ‘good listener.’

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager’s monitoring and oversight of the home are effective. Leaders and managers are well-informed about any issues as they arise and support staff to respond appropriately to address these. As a result of this oversight, staff feel confident and empowered to make informed decisions regarding the care of children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Training and workshops provided by the home’s psychotherapist are used to good effect. These allow staff to discuss matters relating to the children’s emotions, behaviours, and needs. Staff are helped to understand children better and find effective strategies to support them.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leaders and managers ensure that staff meetings are well attended. These meetings provide an open and honest forum for reflection. Staff feel included in decisions and have a say in the care being provided to the children. This means staff feel valued in the home and that their opinion matters. There is a positive culture among the staff. This has created a child-focused environment.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

There is a preferred model of care that the provider applies in the day-to-day care of the children. However, leaders and managers have not yet fully embedded this into this home, and not all staff are aware of this model of care. Therefore, the aims and objectives outlined in the statement of purpose are not fully practised in the home. This is in part due to a high turnover of staff and the home being without a registered manager for some time. Inspection report for children’s home: SC355839 5

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Statutory requirements

This section sets out the actions that the registered person must take to meet the Care Standards Act 2000, The Children’s Homes (England) Regulations 2015 and the ‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’. The registered person must comply within the given timescales.

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Requirement Due date

The protection of children standard is that children are protected from harm and enabled to keep themselves safe.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph requires the registered person to ensure—

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Requirement Due date

assess whether each child is at risk of harm, taking into account information in the child’s relevant plans, and, if necessary, make arrangements to reduce the risk of any harm to the child;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to understand how to keep safe;

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Requirement Due date

have the skills to identify and act upon signs that a child is at risk of harm. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)) 11 September 2025

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Information about this inspection

Inspectors have looked closely at the experiences and progress of children and young people, using the social care common inspection framework. This inspection was carried out under the Care Standards Act 2000 to assess the effectiveness of the service, how it meets the core functions of the service as set out in legislation, and to consider how well it complies with The Children’s Homes (England) Regulations 2015 and the ‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’. Inspection report for children’s home: SC355839 6

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Dove Adolescent Services Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Malvern View, Hanbury Road, Stoke Prior, Bromsgrove, Worcestershire B60 4AD

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Inspectors

Jo Cansfield, Social Care Inspector Gary Smithson, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC355839 7 achieve excellence in the care of children and young people, and in education and skills for learners of all ages. It regulates and inspects childcare and children’s social care, and inspects the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service (Cafcass), schools, colleges, initial teacher training, further education and skills, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It assesses council children’s services, and inspects services for looked after children, safeguarding and child protection.

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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